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Volunteering — corporate, local or otherwise — is the act of offering your services, time and skills to an organization, group, club or neighborhood. It can have an immediate impact on the recipient.
A corporate volunteer does not just help other people. You can volunteer at an animal shelter or clean up a stream or neighborhood. Work with a public access organization driven by volunteers to help provide a free service within a community. Whether your volunteerism is one hour weekly or monthly, or a part-time volunteer job, your energy, attitude and personal power can help others in a variety of ways.
Volunteering can also help you, so let’s look at what volunteerism is about, whether in the corporate environment, a health clinic or working with an animal rescue.
What Not To Do As A Volunteer
When volunteering, you can create a new attitude of giving to others, develop a certain mindset or show an increased desire to help others. In doing so, you can make the environment around you a better place — and this makes you a helpful volunteer.
However, on rare occasions, a volunteer can become so involved in what they do that they may want to control or change the environment based on their own opinion or credo. They may take exception to corporate leadership, circumstances out of their control, think they know better or simply believe they have more credentials in understanding what needs to be done for a community. At this point, they are no longer giving their free time or life skills alone, but want to address change based on their own opinion — or in other words, they want to take charge. This can often result in friction.
Volunteering is not a career stepping stone, nor training for a certain type of job. If you want real work experience, then find a job. You do not volunteer as a side gig, nor do you volunteer to build your own experiences to make connections within your work or promote your business. Although people may volunteer to build or expand their personal network or create connections, these types of benefits are not guaranteed to you.
Volunteerism is about motivation. It is like, when you give something away to someone, you give to help or create a positive difference. The last thing you do is demand what someone does with the gift. When volunteering, if you do not like the management/leadership of the organization or the changes that occur during your volunteerism, then leave. Find yourself a new place to volunteer. Face it, volunteering can be as difficult as it is rewarding.
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Recipients Benefit From Volunteerism At All Social And Economic Levels
The actions of a single volunteer can often be the bridge to success, instead of failure, for the needs of people or a community. Helping a community and the people who live there plays a substantial role in helping any population to access a variety of services. Often people unfortunately may not have the resources, transportation, communications, or knowledge to access fundamental services or entitlements that are available to them.
People in need of volunteer help cover all social and economic bounds. Floods, hurricanes, fires, social unrest, lack of work, crime, continuing education, job training — there are so many ways a volunteer can assist those in need. Volunteers play a fundamental and often crucial role in providing a bridge to success, be it education, health-related services, food insecurity, environmental needs, backpacks for school children or any other need.
Enjoy When Volunteering Benefits You
Learn how to put down a floor in a new home today, meet three new people who were very impressive, or find out someone you didn’t know does the same type of work as you? This can be personal growth and skill development from volunteering.
Volunteering can bring a variety of people together representing various backgrounds, allowing you to experience a diverse range of social connections. This can lead to friendship and new cultural experiences and also provide valuable learning skills that can lead to inspiration, personal growth and even the creation of new opportunities. Allowing yourself the opportunity to interact with people of various passions, values and backgrounds can lead to a better, more grown-up you. Who knows, this may take you to a higher level of satisfaction with a greater sense of responsibility.
Sharing your time with others is more than a valuable resource; it creates memories that will last a lifetime.
Societal Benefits Of Volunteering
The actions of volunteers are often the binding agent that holds a community together. People in the media talk about promoting diversity, inclusion, equity, respect for others or how to maintain success if you follow what they say. Well, a volunteer does those things. Volunteers often build a strong community, provide avenues to success and show others how to become more capable in dealing with the adverse issues life presents.
When volunteering, you can begin to develop the power of friendship and cultural exchange, start a new work ethic and experience comradery or love and respect for those you encounter. Actively helping in the development or growth of a community builds sustainability and pride in oneself and those you help. And obviously, it helps community members initiate their own civic duties and develop solutions for their own issues and challenges. Volunteering can help you see yourself in others and help others to experience a new diversity of thought, creativity and respect. Find yourself in being a volunteer; it can lead to a healthier and happier you.
